ethermuir might not hear."

But for the moment he wished the words unsaid. A wild desire "to put
all to the touch" and know his fate assailed him. He spoke quietly
enough, however, when he went on to tell, in answer to Allison's
questions, why Willie had gone away so suddenly to the West.

He had always intended to go out there some time, but with the
suddenness of his going Mr Strong had something to do. It never seemed
to have come into the father's mind that his little Elsie was not a
child any longer, and when he began to notice the look that came into
Willie's eyes when they lighted on her, he was startled first, and then
he was angry, and he let his anger be seen, which was foolish. I am
afraid he spoke to Elsie herself, which was more foolish still. For she
became conscious, and shy, and ill at ease, and these two, who up to
that time had been like brother and sister, had little to say to one
another. When Elsie was sent away to visit an aunt, Willie grew
restless and angry, and, in a moment when something had vexed him, he
told Mr Strong that he had made up his mind to go West.

"Mr Strong said `all right' a little too readily perhaps, and gave the
lad no time to reconsider his decision, and so Willie went away. It
happened when I was in another town, where I had building going on. I
heard of the matter first from a letter which Willie sent me, and
hurried back as soon as possible, hoping to induce him to wait for a
while, that I might go with him, as I had always meant to do. I was too
late. But it has all ended well. Willie was glad to get home again,
and they were all glad to have him home. Mr Strong had missed the lad
more than he had been willing to confess, even to himself."

"And is that what you call ending well? Is that to be the end?" said
Robert, speaking for the first time.

John laughed. "That is as far as it has gone yet, and it as well as
well can be. We must wait for the rest."

"Tell me about Elsie," said Allison.

John had a good deal to tell about Elsie, and about other people. He
had much to say about Mr Hadden and his family, and about their great
kindness to both Willie and himself. He had something also to say of
his own business and of his success in it, and Robin drew him out to
describe the house he had built for himself among the maples, by the
lake. A pleasant place he said it was, but it would have to wait a
while yet before it could be called a home.

Then